LAUREL, Miss. — Latina Marie Oates, a 36-year-old Ohio woman, has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the murder of her 11-year-old son, Joshua Oates. The mother, who was convicted of capital murder, claimed she believed her son was a demon, leading her to drown him in a bathtub in a Mississippi hotel room.
The tragic incident occurred in March 2020 when Oates drove her three sons from their Ohio home to Mississippi without informing their father. The case has drawn attention to the complexities of mental health issues and the legal system’s handling of such cases.
Throughout the trial, Oates’ defense team argued that she was experiencing a psychotic break at the time of the murder. She reportedly told a mental health professional, Robert Storer, that she believed an ordinary piece of metal she possessed was an “ancient dagger.” After smoking in her car, she returned to the hotel room, filled the bathtub, and threw a used piece of toilet paper into it, claiming it transformed the water into “holy water.”
Oates then attacked Joshua, who was lying on a bed in the hotel room. She described his eyes as red and claimed he was growling, asserting he was no longer human. She subsequently dragged him into the bathroom and drowned him in the bathtub. Oates’ belief that her rosary breaking during the incident signified the presence of a “demon” further fueled her delusion.
After the murder, Oates and her two other sons were seen leaving the Hampton Inn on March 17, 2020. Joshua’s body was later discovered in the hotel room, leading to a warrant being issued for Oates’ arrest. She was apprehended in New Orleans shortly after.
Joshua’s father testified during the trial that Oates had taken the children to New Orleans because of its historical connection to Marie Laveau, a renowned Vodou practitioner from the 1800s.
The jury in Jones County, Mississippi, found Latina Marie Oates guilty of capital murder in the death of Joshua Oates. Despite the defense’s argument that she was in the midst of a psychotic break, the jury rejected the options of finding Oates not guilty by reason of insanity or not guilty but still presenting a danger to society.